February news

Dear Keshcologist,

The darkest months are over, whew. Have a couple of tunes to celebrate...

Going Dutch (from the Filmmaker's Reference Kit Vol 1) is now available here in a shorter edit:


That's https://soundcloud.com/keshco/going-dutch-perverted-groove-7-inch-edit
...and it's also freely usable in your creative projects. Why not take a camera into the clubs of Amsterdam and then soundtrack them with this?

A micro-song for your delectation:

Also downloadable from:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Keshco/microSong_Challenge_Entries/Son_Of_A_Systems_Engineer

Short enough to use as a ringtone, say on your work phone.

The next Keshco release is due out in late March courtesy of Pan y Rosas Discos, a Chicago netlabel.

Before that, another home concert is planned for February 22nd, to be streamed live on the Beware! Vision uStream channel.

Beware! The Zine continues, with regular features including the ongoing adventures of bit demon Nase and telegraphic pal Abel; Johnny Cocktail's Private Investigatory Masterclass; and the Encyclopaedia of International Celebrity, already boasting highly accurate entries on The Smiths and Germaine Greer. You can signup by email to receive updates direct to your inbox.

Bob Art Models has a travelling library exhibition, which will be in the following locations:
23/1 - 7/2 Todmorden Library
14/2 - 28/2 Hebden Bridge Library
9/3 - 21/3 King Cross Library
28/3 - 11/4 Brighouse Library
20/4 - 5/5 Sowerby Bridge Library
11/5 - 1/6 Central Library Halifax
8/6 - 20/6 Elland Library

Support your local artists and support your local libraries! Who knows, maybe Bob Art Models will come to your town next...

Filmmaker's Reference Kit Volume 1: Liner Notes

Cover artwork drawn by Ines Boente/coloured by Andy Brain

A new album of Keshco instrumentals has just been released, gratis, via the Free Music Archive and Bandcamp. Why on Earth is this?

When we embarked on the whole free music/creative commons enterprise, we were hoping that, in lieu of any financial earnings, we would instead get the warm glow of discovering that fellow creative types had used our tunes to soundtrack their films. This would potentially have the nice knock-on effect of seeing what are effectively promo videos for songs we are too busy to make videos for. This has been proved correct, and we've been delighted by the many and varied uses people have found for our music. However, most of our tracks feature singing in some form. We thought it would be a good idea to set out our stall a little clearer.

The selections on Filmmaker's Reference Kit Volume 1 are all instrumental; the human voice is banished in order that potential editors can avoid wading through song after song. This collection comprises different types of incidental music - themes, idents, backing tracks. Suggested genres are given in the track titles. The selections are offered under the "attribution" licence, so can be freely remixed and used so long as we're mentioned as the original artistes.

The tracks herein involve compositions from all four members of Keshco. Some of the backing tracks started life on our previous releases Now, Freaks At A Wake and The Blood, The Horror; but you won't have heard them in this form. At last, you can hear the full suspense-laden thwacks and tingles of Serpico Goes To Shanghai, the severely funky Going Dutch, and the starkly spooky Shadowplay, freshened with new layers and unburdened by vocals. Let your mind go where it wants to.

Notable tracks include the downbeat piano meditation London Hope, and the chaotic slide action of The Speed Demon Theme.

Remixing took place in Andy's living room, using favoured free tools Buzz and Goldwave, in spare moments between the day job and the evening job.

Do let us know if you use any bits in your productions - we'd love to see the results and share them with fellow Keshcologists. Also, what would you find useful in the forthcoming Volume 2?